The MBTA Fired the Driver Behind the Green Line Crash

Acting MBTA General Manager Jonathan Davis told reporters Wednesday that the MBTA fired the driver that crashed into a parked train at Boylston Station last week and sent 37 people to the hospital with injuries. Davis said the driver arrived to work after an eight hour overnight shift at his second job, and hadn't sufficiently rested up, though he didn't say whether the driver was actually asleep when he crashed. Davis also said the crash cost $500,000 in repairs, which is … not what the T needs just now.

It seemed increasingly likely the driver would be found at fault after MBTA officials ruled out mechanical error last week, then cited the driver for speeding and put him on paid leave while they finished their investigation. The more these incidents happen, the more appealing it must seem to outfit the Green Line with the automated system that keeps Orange, Red, and Blue line trains from getting too close to one another. As The Globe reported last week, they're already looking into the option.

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agingcynic

And a move to extend the Blue Line to Lynn. What could go wrong? (Even a proponent named Tom McGee!)